Cambodian king Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni arrived at New Delhi's Air Force Station (AFS) on Monday afternoon for a three-day state visit, the first by a Cambodian monarch in over six decades.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that Sihamoni was received by Minister of State (MoS) External Affairs Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
Baghi remarked that the visit would further deepen the “civilizational relations” between the two countries.
Sihamoni’s official engagements begin on Tuesday, with a reception at the Indian Presidential Palace (Rashtrapati Bhawan) in the morning:
He is scheduled to hold consultations with Indian External Affairs minister S. Jaishankar in the morning, followed by a call with Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar.
In the evening, Sihamoni will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu, separetely.
The Cambodian king is scheduled to fly back to Phnom Penh on Wednesday morning.
Before his departure from Phnom Penh on Monday, Sihamoni said in a royal message that he would be absent from the country from 29 to 31 May during which Samdech Say Chhum, President of the Senate, will assume the title of the acting Head of State.
H.M. King Norodom Sihamoni departed for India for his maiden State Visit 29-31 May 2023 at the invitation of Hon`ble President of India.
© Photo : The Embassy of India in Cambodia
India-Cambodia Historical Links a Foundation of Current Ties: New Delhi
New Delhi has said that “historical links” rooted in common Hindu and Buddhist heritage have provided a “strong foundation” to the contemporary ties.
The visit of the Cambodian monarch coincides with the 70th anniversary of establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations.
Addressing a press conference on Sihamoni’s visit, a senior Indian diplomat at the foreign ministry underscored that “conservation and restoration of ancient temples in Cambodia” was an important area of bilateral cooperation.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been involved in the restoration of ancient temples in Cambodia since 1986, said Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last week.
Kumar noted that New Delhi had also carried out restoration of the Angkor Wat temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the early 1990s.
“Restoration of Ta Prohm Temple has completed two phases, while the third phase of work is underway. Last year restoration work commenced on Preah Vihear, a world heritage site and one of the oldest temples of Lord Shiva,” Kumar said.
He said that New Delhi was also cooperating with Phnom Penh in the spheres of capacity-building, defense and de-mining infrastructure, education, healthcare and sanitation among other areas.
Kumar noted that India has extended a $100 million line of credit (LoC) to Cambodia for various developmental projects.
He said that New Delhi has also extended a grant of $1.5 million for procurement of demining equipment, gifted sniffer dogs and offered a $50 million line of credit for capacity building and other related works for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.